Draft gears for railway draft rigging



June 11, 1957 E. e. FORSSELL DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGING 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18, 1955 Inven/ori E1710 'G.F0rsse ZZ.

June 11, 1957 E. a. FORSSELL DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGING 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 18, 1955 Inve Z'I'r ic Gl brsseZZ.

June 11, 195 E. e. FORSSELL DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT fiIGGIN 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 18, 1955 Eric gfbrssgll. I

I a w 0 2 D a J B a 1 M w A @1 I m= m&xwsv mmwxmmxmws DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGING Eric G. Forssell, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to W. H. Miner, 111$, Chicago, 111., a;corporation of Delaware Application July 18, 1955, Serial No. 522,597

Claims. (Cl. 213--45) This invention relates to draft gears for railway draft rigging.

It is a main object of the invention to provide in.a

a: draft gear in which a resilient column isencased in amechanical casing, an improved plunger for applying pressure to the column, which plunger includes means for securing the plunger in the casing, thereby to hold the gear together as a unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a pressure applying plunger for a resilient column a" keyway in which a key is mounted for movement into extended posi-= tion and into engagement with the-casing in which the column is encased.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a'draft gear as set forth in the preceding'objects, a fronttfollower'.

for the resilient column, which follower includes means interengaged with the plunger and key for holding the key in extended position and the plunger-aligned in the taken substantially along the line-3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of .the arrows;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view through the gear, taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional viewthrough the gear, taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view through the plunger,

taken substantially along-the line 6--6 of Figure 4, look- 1 ing in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the plunger in operative position of the gear as shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 8 is across sectional view throughthe plunger, taken along the line 88 of Figure 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view through the plunger, taken along the line 99 of Figure 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 10 is an end view of the plunger;

Figure 11 is an edge elevational view of the key;

Figure 12 is a plan view of the key;

Figure 13 is an end view of the key;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the front follower;

Figure 15 is a side elevational view of the front follower;

Figure 16 is an end elevational view of the front follower;

Figure 17 is a cross sectional view through the gear States Patent with: the-front follower telescoped .therein preparatory to.

inserting the plunger. into thecasing; and

Figure 18 is aside elevational view diagrammatically illustratingzthe insertion of thelplunger.

The gear of the present invention consists of a metallic azrear wall. 14 integral 'withvthe top, bottom andsidewalls.v Adjacent thev open front end of'the casing, top and bottom walls 10 and 11 flare outwardly to.form grooves 15 and 16, respectively, which grooves are closed at the open end of the casing by inturned flanges17 and? 18, best seen in Figure 17. Top and bottom walls 10.

and 11 of the casing contain openings. 19 extending through the walls and into the grooves 15 and 16, respec-. tively.

The resilient column B, shown by way of example.

only, consists of solid'rubber pads of known construction, with metal plates ontthe faces of the pads to which: the pads are bonded. The column B is divided into;

groups byaligning separators C, alsoof known construc tion and consisting -of:web-likeplates disposed between, adjacent pads in the column B and having flanges in sliding engagement with the interior walls of the casing.

The front followenD, while of .thesamc general con-,-

struction as the aligning separator C, is modified by the inclusion ,offrusto-conical bosses 20 that extend forwardlyfrom the platelike front wall 21 of the follower. extending forwardly from this wall 21is. a boss 22 that extends from end-to-end of :the follower and contains at its ends triangular extensions 23. The rearwardly extending flanges 24 of the front follower contain rectangular' openings 25, best seen in' Figure 15.

The plunger: E1 consists of a frusto-pyramidal front. section30zreinforced by an internal wall 31 extending between the topand bottom portions of the section and by a short flangelike interior wall 32 that extends from end? to-end of the section and forwardly from the rear wall? portion-33 thereof. This rear wall portion 33 extends but part way :across the base portion of the plunger and contains frusto-conical sockets 34 located and spaced as' will be seen best in Figure 8; Adjacent the lower end of theplunger as it is positioned in the casing of the gear is a recess 35 that extends from end-to-end of the plunger and opens into the longer lower side thereof, this recess bein-gdefined at its forward boundary by a short flangelike wall 36 inwardly extending from the lower wall of. the frusto-pyramidal section and disposed parallel to the rear wall 33. Projecting outwardly from the longer side of theplunger at the top. thereof, when the plunger is in operative'position in the casing, are lugsv37. The interiorwall 31, of, the. plunger contains a generally L- shapedopening 38;adjacent the recess 35;

The key K consists of a flat platelike portion 40 of thickness such as to enable it to fit in the recess 35, with its rearward face aligned with the rearward face of the wall portion 33. Upstanding from the platelike portion of the key is a generally L-shaped wall 41 having a flange 42, which flange 42 is adapted to hook over the flangelike wall 36 of the casing, as will be seen in Figure 4. The endportions of the platelike wall 40 of the key are chamfered, as shown at 43, and lugs 44 project outwardly from the longer side of the plate 40 opposite the wall 41.

In assembling the gear, the casing is positioned with its open end uppermost and the units of the resilient column Also 13' inserted therein, with the aligning separators C interspaced as shown. When the column has been thus built up to the requisite number of units, front follower D is inserted and pressure appliedto the front follower to tele-. scope it into the casing sufficiently to align the openings 25 in the follower with the openings 19 inthe casing. Keys 50 may then be inserted into the openings and serve to hold the plunger in telescoped position when pressure is removed therefrom.

The plunger, with the key K inserted therein, is then placed in the casing with its rear face at an angle to the follower and with the lugs 37 projecting into the grooves in the upper wall 10 of the casing. The plunger is then rotated slightly counterclockwise, as seen in Figure 18, which brings the key K into engagement with the boss 22. A suitable tool 51 is then inserted through the openings 52 in the front wall of the plunger to move the key outwardly, thereby to move it off of the boss 22 and to position the lugs 44 on the key in the grooves 16 in the casing.

When the key has been moved into the position in which it is shown in Figure 4, the plunger may be rotated, counterclockwise as seen in Fig. 18, sufficiently to bring its rear wall 33 and the rear face of the key into engagement with the front face of the front follower D. The frustoconical bosses on the front follower projecting into the frusto-conical sockets 34 in the wall 33 of the plunger position that plunger and hold it with respect to the front follower. The engagement of the inner edge of the key plate 40 with the boss 22 prevents the key from being retracted into the plunger. wall 42 of the key with the flange wall 36 of the plunger prevents separation of the key and plunger. The chamfers 43 on the platelike portion 40 of the key abut against triangular extensions 23 of the boss 22, thereby to prevent longitudinal movement of the key.

The plunger having thus been positioned in the casing and against the front follower, pressure is applied wit to relieve the pressure on the keys 50 which are then removed, and as pressure is relieved on the plunger the column B expands, moving that plunger until the lugs 37 and 44 engage the flanges 17 and 18, respectively.

In operation, with the gear installed in the usual yoke and pocket of a draft rigging, pressure is applied to telescope the plunger into the casing to compress the resilient column which is maintained in alignment by the engagement of the flanges on the aligining separators and front follower with the walls of the casing. When the pressure is released, the column expands, moving the plunger into the position shown best in Figure 4.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I consider new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is: I

1. In a draft gear for railway draft rigging, the com bination with a metallic casing of rectangular cross section that is open at its front end and closed by a solid wall at its rear end, and a resilient column in said casing, which column is composed of rubber units; of a front follower engaging the front end of said column; flanges on said follower having sliding fit in the, casing for guiding the follower; frusto-conical bosses on said follower pro- Engagement of the flangelike 4 jecting forwardly therefrom and located between the median line of the follower and one side thereof; a rectangular boss on said follower projecting forwardly therefrom, extending from end-to-end of the follower and located between said median line and the other side of the follower; a pressure applying plunger projecting outwardly from said follower through the open end of said casing;

' a rectangular rear wall on said plunger engaging said follower between said rectangular boss and the first men tioned side of the follower and containing frusto-conical openings into which said frusto-conical bosses project to position the plunger with respect to the follower; lugs on said wall projecting outwardly therefrom beyond the follower; a key engaging said follower between said rectangular boss and said other side of the follower; lugs on said key projecting outwardly therefrom beyond the follower, said casing containing inwardly opening grooves into which said lugs project; hook means on said key securing the key to the plunger; and flanges on said casing closing the front ends of said grooves and against which said lugs abut to hold the gear together as a unitary structure.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the plunger contains an inwardly turned flange spaced from the follower and in which the key fits between said flange and the follower and has a forwardly extending wall that carries a flange that fits against the front face of the plunger flange to secure the key in position.

3. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the key abuts against the rectangular boss on the follower and is held thereby in the position with the lugs on the key projecting beyond the follower.

' 4. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the key extendsfrom end-to-end of the plunger and fo1lower,.and contains chamfers at its ends which abut against triangular projections on the rectangular boss on the follower to prevent displacement of the key longitudinally.

" aligning separators that engage the walls of the casing to stabilize the column; of a front follower disposed against the front end of the column; a pressure applying plunger having a rectangular rear wall telescoped into the casing and engaging said follower; a pressure applying portion Z of said plunger extending forwardly from said base portion and beyond the open end of the casing; a recess in said plunger opening into the back thereof, into a longer side thereof, and into the ends thereof adjacent said longer side; a movable key disposed in said recess and extending 1-beyond said longer side; lugs projecting beyond the other longer side of said rear wall; flanges projecting inwardly from the front end of said casing at the top and bottom thereof and engaging said lugs and key respectively to hold the gear together as a unit; and means including bosses projecting forwardlyfrorn the front face of said front follower and engaging said. rear wall and key for maintaining the key extended into its flange engaging position.

No references cited. 

